In the least, the 49ers know who their quarterback won't be next season. Nate Davis, who thrilled fans with his big arm while aggravating coaches with his poor work ethic, is poised to sign with the Seattle Seahawks.

Davis will be reunited with Seahawks executive Scot McCloughan, the former 49ers general manager who drafted him in the fifth round in the 2009 draft.

So who will be the 49ers quarterback next season? It's shaping up as a wide-open derby. New general manager Trent Baalke on Tuesday pledged to cruise his three available avenues -- draft, trade or free agency.

"Is the quarterback of the future on this roster? I think it's obvious that he isn't at this point, but things could change and they will change through one of those three vehicles," Baalke said in a radio interview with Mike Florio of NBC Sports

That statement was the latest to underscore the widespread belief that the Alex Smith train has left the station.

Smith, 26, is a free agent and neither side has shown the slightest hint of wanting the marriage to continue.

A day after the 49ers' season finale, Smith spoke of a change of scenery as he packed up his locker. Jim Harbaugh fielded several questions about the quarterback situation last Friday without once mentioning Smith during his introductory press conference.

Team president Jed York has called the quarterback position "an area of need" for 2011.

Smith's departure is such a foregone conclusion that one of his closest friends on the team, tight end Vernon Davis, began campaigning for another quarterback.

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Davis said he would "love to catch passes from Donovan McNabb,'' during an appearance on "The T. Ocho Show,'' which aired Tuesday night on Versus.

Davis said he would support whichever quarterback the 49ers bring in before adding: " having Donovan McNabb, that would be outstanding."

McNabb fell out of favor with the Washington Redskins and ESPN reported in December that he has asked for his release. McNabb was demoted to a third-stringer over the final month of the season.

Similarly, Vince Young is expected to be cut loose by the Tennessee Titans. The team announced plans to move on without him. A trade is possible, but the more likely scenario is that Young will be released.

McNabb and Young are just two of the veteran quarterbacks who could be on the market -- that is, once the league's labor upheaval is squared away. As Florio pointed out during his radio interview with Baalke, the lack of a new collective bargaining agreement could prohibit the 49ers from signing a free agent or trading for a player under contract.

If no CBA is in place by the start of the new NFL year in early March, the 49ers might have to head into April's draft before getting a chance to land a veteran quarterback.

"Regardless of the order that it falls -- and that's obviously up in the air at this stage -- you've got to be prepared for all three," Baalke said during his radio interview. "You have to have a plan for the evaluation process and the guys that are coming out in the draft. And you have to do the same thing for free agency and you have to do the same thing via the trade.

"We're going to look at our options and make decisions based on how we have the guys evaluated."

The free agent market could include longtime Seattle starter Matt Hasselbeck, as well as notable backups like Marc Bulger (Baltimore) and Seneca Wallace (Cleveland).

Davis, who spent all of last season on the 49ers' practice squad, is free to sign with the Seattle because the 49ers did not offer him a future contract, which would have locked him up for the 2011 season. (The 49ers offered future contract to five other practice squadders, but Davis was essentially granted free agency.)

The only 49ers quarterback under contract for next season is David Carr. Troy Smith is also a free agent. The 49ers have the seventh overall pick in the draft and among the quarterbacks expected to be available are Cam Newton of Auburn, Jake Locker of Washington and Ryan Mallett of Arkansas.

Harbaugh, in his introductory press conference last week, spoke only in general parameters about what he wanted from a quarterback. He said he wanted someone who brought "athletic instincts, accuracy, timing, decision making, leadership, intelligence -- you could keep going on and on."

He also vowed last week to resurrect the West Coast Offense in San Francisco. That could make Eagles backup Kevin Kolb a tempting trade target, but he would come at a price. One source told the NFL Network that Eagles would seek a high draft pick in return.

Besides Kolb, other top players who might be made available on the trade market include the Broncos' Kyle Orton and the Bengals' Carson Palmer.

Greg Manusky, unlikely to be retained as the 49ers defensive coordinator, is expected to interview for the Chargers defensive coordinator job. He interviewed Tuesday for the Arizona Cardinals vacant defensive coordinator job and is reported to be a candidate in Dallas as well.